Dan Bleicher

Why do I participate in research?

“In 2019 I spent a month in the ICU at the local hospital. It was my first time ever spending time in a hospital and wow, was it an “interesting” few weeks. I had serious problems with my joints, lungs, kidneys, heart, and eyes. During this time, I was diagnosed with EGPA Vasculitis, a condition I had never heard of before. This diagnosis proved essential in guiding the doctors to help me recover and eventually push my symptoms into remission.

Once the doctors discharged me, I had plenty of work to do. Some of this work entailed getting back in shape and another component included research into all things Vasculitis. I quickly found that the Vasculitis Foundation’s website to be one of the most comprehensive and insightful sources of information.

I am in the VPPRN to help people with Vasculitis both present and future. I genuinely believe that providing our doctors, scientists, and health care professionals with robust data can lead to faster diagnoses and more effective treatment. Having a single database with all our information – from all over the world inclusive of every type of Vasculitis – can help bring about better outcomes for all of us!”

-Dan Bleicher